Make 2011 a year of cheapness

These tips could save you more than $3,500.

Happy New Year, Cheapsters. If one of your resolutions is to try to save money in 2011, here are a bunch of tips from Cheapsters throughout the Lehigh Valley to help get you on the right track.

Make your own baby wipes: Parents with two children could save $1,200 by making their own wipes. Adrianne Zeiss of Bangor told us how to do it. She puts a roll of paper towels into a plastic container, pours two cups of boiling water, one tablespoon of baby wash and two tablespoons of baby oil over the roll. Wait a couple of minutes and the cardboard will pull out of the paper towels. You have homemade baby wipes that cost a lot less.

Use newspapers in your garden: Linda Kelly in Zionsville showed us how to use newspapers in your flower beds and gardens rather than buying expensive weed-proof fabric. She puts a layer of newspaper down and covers it with mulch. She'll put multiple layers of paper in troublesome weed spots. The paper decomposes each year. If you have a large property with a lot of plants, this tip could save you $500 in just one season.

Cheap beer all the way: If you've been drinking name brand beer out of habit, give cheap beer a try. We put mega-brand Budweiser up against low-cost alternative Pabst Blue Ribbon in a taste test in July. Only four tasters preferred Bud, which cost 30 percent more than Pabst, which was preferred by 12 of our randomly selected samplers. But don't take our word for it. Try your own taste test, and do it with other products, as well. Switching from Bud to PBR could save you $1,040 over 10 years.

Trim that toothbrush: Easton resident Ed Hall showed us how to trim the frayed ends from a toothbrush to prolong its life. It works if the bristles aren't frayed too far down. Ed only trims the bristles once. He doesn't keep going farther down because the bristles get stiffer closer to the brush and he's worried about losing tooth enamel. We figured Ed's tip would save a family of four $160 over 10 years. The American Dental Association didn't like Ed's tip. It recommends replacing a toothbrush every three to four months.

Save those watch batteries: Barbara Hobson of Orefield showed us how to save on watch batteries. She has three watches, and when she removes one she pulls a pin to deactivate the watch and conserve the battery. It especially helps when she stores her dressy watch or her summer watch through cold months. If you have two watches that you wear either seasonally or only when getting dressed up, you'd save $100 over 20 years by pulling the pin to power down the battery.

Use less fabric softener: If you use fabric softener, try this tip from Diane Warner in Plainfield Township to make one bottle last two years. Instead of pouring it into the wash, she pours just a little bit on an old sock and throws that sock in the dryer with a wet load of laundry. That tip could save you $690 over 20 years.